George Bailey, the Australia captain, wonders what motivates bowlers on the batting-friendly pitches of India but feels that also renders a tour of the country daunting for sides like his. Australia racked up 359 in the second ODI in Jaipur, only to watch India run it down in 43.3 overs for the loss of one wicket, making it the second-highest successful chase ever. "The wickets we have played on...
Mommsen ruled out of qualifiers
Preston Mommsen has been ruled out of Scotland's World T20 qualifying campaign in a blow to their chances of winning a place in Bangladesh in March. Mommsen, Scotland vice-captain, has a pelvis injury and won't be able to join his squad for the qualifiers in the UAE that get underway on November 15. He would have been keen to improve his record in T20 internationals, having made only 118 runs in...
Kumble regime not to contest KSCA elections
Anil Kumble, the former India captain and current president of the Karnataka State Cricket Associaton (KSCA) has announced that his administration, which includes former India team-mate Javagal Srinath, will not contest the upcoming KSCA elections. Kumble and Srinath, the association's secretary, came to power in November 2010, when they beat Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the former maharaja...
No time for BCCI responsibility - Pawar
Minutes after his return to cricket administration as the elected president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Sharad Pawar said he couldn't spare any time for the BCCI. "I don't have time to go to the BCCI as I don't have time for any responsibility. I might go for meetings but I don't have time to take up any responsibility," Pawar, the former MCA, BCCI and ICC president, said after ending...
Oct
18
Disappointed Smith promises to bounce back
Graeme Smith has not worn the look he had on today for 22 months and 15 Tests - the span between losing the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and their last defeat, to Sri Lanka in December 2011. In its time away, the expression has grown considerably more tortured. His usual blue eyes become a shade at least five times darker, his mouth remains pursed, as though it is frowning the way a brow...
Misbah proud of UAE record
The most important thing about thriving in the desert is the ability to adapt to its harshness. Plants store water, animals spend most of the day preserving energy in the shade and the Pakistan cricket team take wickets on tracks where most attacks toil without reward. Misbah-ul-Haq credited his attack with dealing a decisive blow to South Africa and paving the way to allow Pakistan to break the...
BCCI, ECB against ICC chairman's role
The BCCI and the ECB are in agreement over the dilution of power to be exercised by the new ICC chairman and would like the role to be reduced from head of executive office in the ICC to that of a convenor. The BCCI president N Srinivasan and ECB chairman Giles Clarke met on Wednesday in London and one of the developments from that meeting is expected to be a proposal to re-examine the powers and...
Pakistan of Abu Dhabi v Pakistan of Harare
Self-belief, brave selection and an aggressive mindset helped Pakistan bounce back from a loss to Zimbabwe to beating the No. 1 Test team comprehensivelyThere is supposed to be some kind of certainty in covering the teams at the top and bottom of the Test rankings. You have a fair idea of who is expected to win and who is expected to lose. In the last month, that assumption has been twisted out of...
Oct
16
Batsmen must be self-reliant - Katich
Last week, Cricket Australia assembled more than 20 of the nation's sharpest cricket minds at the SCG in an attempt to work out how to help the nation's struggling batsmen. Simon Katich was not among the delegates, but he has a simple piece of advice for those players fighting to establish themselves as consistent run-makers at state and international level - no one else can do it for you. Katich's...
Tendulkar available for Mumbai's season opener
Sachin Tendulkar will warm up for his farewell Test series by appearing in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Haryana, to be played in Lahli from October 27 to 30. A day before Mumbai's selection panel, headed by former India opener Sudhir Naik, is to select the squad for the match and name the captain for the season, Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Nitin Dalal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo...
South Africa err in length and selection
The over-reliance on short-pitched bowling and lack of a penetrative spinner forced South Africa to endure their toughest day in the field in 11 monthsOn pitches that do not facilitate bounce, like the one at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, fast bowlers need to be patient and disciplined. Their reserves of guts and imagination will be tested and the levels of intensity and mental focus needed are...
From wildcard to senior
Khurram Manzoor looked tentative on his Pakistan comeback but, two Tests later, made a century against the No. 1 Test attack alongside a debutant opening partnerFor a significant portion of Dav Whatmore's tenure as Pakistan coach, he has looked worried. Occasionally that expression becomes something less stressful and sometimes it completely disappears and is replaced by calm. Even rarer are the times...
Oct
15
Pakistan ruing lack of third seamer
Mohammad Irfan's temporary exit from the field illuminated the issue of not having a third seaming option, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq having Saeed Ajmal operate at one end in order to rotate his depleted attackWhen Mohammad Irfan left the field two balls into his fourth spell, Pakistan were already playing with limited bowling options. With only a pair of specialist seamers and spinners each, without...
Tucker appointed captain for qualifiers
38-year-old veteran Janeiro Tucker has been appointed Bermuda captain for next month's World T20 qualifier, for which they named a 15-man squad. Bermuda aim to shrug off the one-hit wonder tag at the tournament as they target a place back at a major event for the first time since the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies - to date their only appearance at a global competition. "I am happy to congratulate...
Amla, a master of patience and adaptability
Hashim Amla began his innings like he has often done this year - inside the first ten overs - and batted with simplicity and consideration to bring up his 20th Test centuryPerhaps the most remarkable fact about Hashim Amla's triple-century at The Oval last July was that he did not change batting gloves once in the 13 hours and 10 minutes he spent at the crease. He took them off, of course, and dried...
India begin Project Raina
India are trialling Suresh Raina at No 4 as back-up for Yuvraj Singh ahead of the 2015 World Cup. But does Raina have the game to succeed in the top order?As he dissected India's performance after their heavy defeat to Australia in the first ODI, MS Dhoni also revealed an important development: India are trying to develop Suresh Raina as a No 4 batsman with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. This was why...
Oct
14
Bangladesh's greater unity brings rewards
Bangladesh are more cohesive than they were two years ago, and that's because of Mushfiqur Rahim's leadership and the rise in status of players like Sohag GaziIf David Boon hadn't dived two feet to his right at short leg, there wouldn't have been an MCG hat-trick for Shane Warne. At Eden Gardens in 2001, it was Sadagoppan Ramesh's swift right hand that gave Harbhajan Singh his famous hat-trick. And...
Spin and heat lessen mismatch
Match facts October 14-18Start time 10.00 am local time (6.00am GMT) Big picture South Africa have shown their dominance at home, blanking opponents in both series last season, and in England and Australia, where they have won on their previous two visits. Their focus will now turn to underlining their superiority on the spin-friendly tracks in the heat of Asia. They get fewer matches in Asia...
Elation and disbelief for Gazi after hat-trick
Sohag Gazi watched as everything seemed to moving in slow motion. He had just delivered the ball, hoping for a hat-trick. It had taken the edge and struck wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim on his right pad. Nasir Hossain at slip came forward, slid a little, then stopped. Shakib Al Hasan had by this time slunk over from leg-slip. He dived and completed the catch. Gazi ran away, chased by Robiul Islam, Marshall...
'Disappointed to settle for draw' - Mushfiqur
The first Test in Chittagong was only Bangladesh's second drawn match against New Zealand but the home captain Mushfiqur Rahim was not satisfied with the result. "We are disappointed to settle for a draw," he said. "It was an opportunity, and if the wicket was any different, it would have been a different ball game for our spinners. We could have lost, but at the same time we could have used our...
Oct
13
Questions for both sides in opener
Match facts Sunday, October 13, 2013Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT) Big Picture If you trace a line through the venues for this ODI series, it starts from western India and runs across the northern, eastern and central parts of the country before culminating in the shape of a question mark in the south. As India and Australia traverse that line for the next three-and-a-half weeks, they will...
Parnell's six snuffs out Knights
Warriors 242 for 8 (Ingram 79) beat Knights 231 (van Biljon 67, Parnell 6-51) by 11 runsScorecard An extraordinary six-wicket haul from Wayne Parnell gave Warriors a winning start to the Momentum One-day Cup with an 11-run win over Knights at Kimberley. Parnell ran through the middle order for his best List A haul and took the wickets of Pite van Biljon and Quinton Friend, who both threatened...
Gazi's batting vindicates shift in policy
Bangladesh have often used a specialist batsman at No 8, but Gazi's growth as an assured strokemaker could help them save a key position in the futureWith his maiden Test century, Sohag Gazi has reiterated his value as a batsman. If he can continue making such contributions in future, Bangladesh can finally relinquish their preferred policy - one they have stuck to for 17 Tests since 2009 - of using...
Ponting reveals Clarke doubts
Ricky Ponting has revealed the doubts he harboured about Michael Clarke before his ascension to the Australian captaincy, saying his deputy did not contribute as much as desired and that for some time senior players "wondered if he'd lost a little of his sense of team". In an extract from his forthcoming autobiography At The Close Of Play, Ponting frames his relationship with Clarke against his own...
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